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26 Oct 2018, 21:00

Hi Guys,

I am preparing GMAT from last 6 months or so. I have subscribed e-gmat and Magoosh for the same and able to solve good number of questions with decent accuracy but still i am not able to score more than 580 in any of the test paper. ( I have given 2 GMAT and 2 GMAT PREP).

Till now i have given 4 tests and in all 4 of the tests- i have got around 580 Score ( Maths 48 and 23 verbal), this score is similar in all the tests.

I just like to know where im heading wrong, is there anything i need to do to figure out my mistakes.

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26 Oct 2018, 22:11

bansalsaurabh7 wrote:

Hi Guys,

I am preparing GMAT from last 6 months or so. I have subscribed e-gmat and Magoosh for the same and able to solve good number of questions with decent accuracy but still i am not able to score more than 580 in any of the test paper. ( I have given 2 GMAT and 2 GMAT PREP).

Till now i have given 4 tests and in all 4 of the tests- i have got around 580 Score ( Maths 48 and 23 verbal), this score is similar in all the tests.

I just like to know where im heading wrong, is there anything i need to do to figure out my mistakes.

HiI would suggest to analyze the tests you have appeared so far thoroughly. Categorize your mistakes into silly mistakes, unknown concept, too hard question, etc. Then you can work on your weakness. As per your scores, Verbal is your weak point, so go through all concepts of Verbal again and solve the questions. Analyze each OG question thoroughly and if you have any doubt, search the question in the forum.Hope it helps.
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27 Oct 2018, 09:09

bansalsaurabh7 wrote:

Hi Guys,

I am preparing GMAT from last 6 months or so. I have subscribed e-gmat and Magoosh for the same and able to solve good number of questions with decent accuracy but still i am not able to score more than 580 in any of the test paper. ( I have given 2 GMAT and 2 GMAT PREP).

Till now i have given 4 tests and in all 4 of the tests- i have got around 580 Score ( Maths 48 and 23 verbal), this score is similar in all the tests.

I just like to know where im heading wrong, is there anything i need to do to figure out my mistakes.

Hi

Which company's mock exam you have used so far?'
_________________

Final days of the GMAT Exam?=>All GMAT Flashcards.This Post Helps = Press +1 KudosBest of Luck on the GMAT!!

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27 Oct 2018, 09:21

bansalsaurabh7 wrote:

I have given GMAT exam -couple of times and have given 3-4 mock tests from GMAT PREP.

You can start with Quant or Verbal which suits you. If you have started with Quant then Start with the Arithmetic but if started with verbal then start first with Sentence correction. One month for learning Quant concepts and one month for practicing question and same practice for Verbal. During you Practicing question don't forget to make an error log to track your weak areas after practice. Once you know your weak areas revise your Concepts related to those areas and do some more Practice. 6-8 CATs are enough for practice the real tests. Make your Stamina for sitting 3 hours in the test and don't study more than 2 hours in one sit and 4 hours per day

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Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:1) Have you been studying consistently over the last 6 months or have you taken "time off" during that period? How many hours do you typically study each week?2) On what dates did you take each of your CATs and how have you scored on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?3) Have you taken the actual GMAT yet? If you have, then how did you score (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for each attempt)?

Goals:4) What is your goal score?5) When are you planning to (re)take the GMAT?6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?7) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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In order to give you precise inputs, I would like to check the data of your preparation on Scholaranium and course dashboard along with all the information you have shared here. Please write to us through the registered email id to support@e-gmat.com.

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29 Oct 2018, 00:53

Hi EMPOWERgmatRichC,

Please find below the information as required.

Studies:1) Have you been studying consistently over the last 6 months or have you taken "time off" during that period? How many hours do you typically study each week?-- I have studied for consistently for 4 months- around 12-14 hours a week. and In last 6 months, I have taken a 'time off' for one month- two times.

2) On what dates did you take each of your CATs and how have you scored on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)? - I have given two CATs in last couple of weeks and scored similar in both the test- 590( Q48 V23) and 580 ( Q49 V22).

3) Have you taken the actual GMAT yet? If you have, then how did you score (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for each attempt)--? I have given the actual GMAT couple of times and scored 550(Q48, V19) in my first attempt ( given last August'17) and scored 580 (Q48 V22) in my second attempt (given this June'18).

Goals:4) What is your goal score? -- I am targeting around 7205) When are you planning to (re)take the GMAT? I am planning to retake in next one month.6) When are you planning to apply to Business School? I understand that i am quite late for admission year 2019; As soon i get my goal score I will start applying for Business schools for next year admissions through second or third cycle.7) What Schools are you planning to apply to? I am planning for ISB Hyderabad, and some of schools from Canada and Australia.

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29 Oct 2018, 19:26

Hi bansalsaurabh7,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, your 2 recent CAT score results - along with your 2 Official GMAT Scores - show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 570 +/- a few points). Considering that you've been scoring at this level for over a year, it's likely that you have gotten 'stuck' at this score level. Raising a 570 to a 720+ will likely require at least another 3 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. However, you will almost certainly need more time than you have allotted.

1) Assuming that you would have to push back your application plans, would you apply for Round 3 this year or Round 1 next Fall?2) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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29 Oct 2018, 20:13

Thank you Rich,

I also feel that i wont be able to apply for Round 2 and will need to study consistently for another 3 months. In relation to this, I need one more advice- I have a total experience of 5 yrs in IT industry and I want to give my full time to my studies for my GMAT exam, I am thinking to leave the job and study for the GMAT.

Would you think is this the right decision- will it impact my GMAT application or College interview?

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29 Oct 2018, 20:54

Hi bansalsaurabh7,

I do NOT think that it is necessary for anyone to quit their jobs so that they can study for the GMAT full time.

Since you're now asking Admissions questions, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and application plans. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

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30 Oct 2018, 10:16

Hi bansalsaurabh7,

I’m glad you reached out, and I’m happy to help. First off, great job with quant! A Q48 is a pretty awesome quant score. That being said, based on the description of your study routine and the scores from your practice exams vs. your goal score, it’s clear that you have been taking practice exams before you are ready. GMAT practice tests best serve two main purposes. The first purpose is to provide diagnostic information. In other words, by taking a practice test, you can get a sense of what types of GMAT questions you’re comfortable answering and arrive at a reasonable estimation of how you would score on the GMAT at that point in time. The second purpose is, naturally, to provide a way to practice taking the GMAT and handling its various challenges, such as time pressure and the varying difficulty of the questions presented.

People often misuse practice tests as primary learning tools. You may have seen posts that go something like the following: A person with a score goal of 740 has been preparing for six weeks, has already taken all six of the official practice tests, and is wondering why her scores have been 600, 590, 570, 610, 600, and 560. In such a case, the person likely has been using practice tests as primary learning tools, meaning that taking practice tests has been much of, or possibly most of, what she has been doing to drive up her score.

Can practice tests be valuable tools for learning and continued score improvement? Yes, of course they can, if they are used properly and at optimal times in your preparation. However, practice tests should not be used as primary learning vehicles because practice tests don’t really provide the kind of practice that you need to increase your score. To improve your score, you need to learn the basics of answering various types of GMAT questions, and then practice applying what you have learned by carefully answering practice questions in order to learn to answer them correctly. When you first learn how to answer a particular type of question, answering that type of question correctly can easily take way longer than the two minutes or so per question that you are allotted when taking the GMAT (or a practice test). Two minutes per question can fly by, and if you want to finish the sections of the test on time, in many cases, regardless of whether you have figured out how to answer a question, you may have to just answer and move on. So, while taking a practice test can be a great way to work on your overall approach to taking the GMAT, taking a practice test is not a great way to practice getting right answers to various types of questions. To effectively prepare for the GMAT, you have to practice answering questions of each type without the time constraints of the test and work up to a point at which you can answer questions of each type in around two minutes. Thus, there is very limited utility in taking practice tests before you have done substantial preparation. When you take multiple practice tests early in your prep, the tests simply underscore exactly what you already know: You need to learn more content and develop more skills to hit your score goal. Why spend three hours taking a practice test just to learn what you already know, wasting a valuable learning tool in the process?

Of course, you can benefit from taking one diagnostic practice test early in your preparation. Furthermore, once you’ve done substantial preparation and mastered much of the content tested on the GMAT, when you sit for practice tests, they will actually show, to some degree, lingering weak areas that require further study. I say “to some degree” because although practice tests provide a pretty good approximation of how a person would score on the GMAT at a particular point in time, the sample size of questions on any practice test is rather small (31 quant questions and 36 verbal questions), so practice tests don’t do a very good job of pinpointing specific areas of weakness.

For example, let’s assume that of the 31 quant questions on a given practice test, you encounter one Rate-Time-Distance question and get it wrong. Should you conclude that you need extensive work on Rate-Time-Distance questions? Of course not. Similarly, what if you correctly answered the Rate-Time-Distance question? Are you good to go on those questions? Maybe. But maybe not. In fact, let’s assume that you took six practice tests, saw a total of six Rate-Time-Distance questions, and correctly answered them all. Can you conclude that you’re solid on Rate-Time-Distance questions? Probably not. One thing that makes the GMAT challenging is the vast potential for variation in the questions. There are hundreds -- maybe thousands -- of variations of Rate-Time-Distance questions that can appear on the test. So, correctly answering five or six (or ten) Rate-Time-Distance questions doesn’t really tell you too much. You must take care not to over-infer based on practice tests alone.

To truly improve your GMAT quant and verbal skills, and before taking any further tests, consider adjusting your study plan such that it allows for linear learning. Looking at your current study routine, it appears that your prep is centered on doing practice questions. While engaging in practice is a necessary part of improving your GMAT skills, such practice is only beneficial after you have studied the necessary topics on which those questions are based. Moving forward, consider using a resource that allows you FIRST to learn the concepts and strategies related to GMAT quant and verbal and SECOND to practice with a large number of realistic questions.

If you’d like some further advice on how to improve your quant and verbal skills, feel free to reach out, and I’d be happy to help. You also may find my article with more information regardinghow to score a 700+ on the GMAT helpful.
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